Slowly losing my Sanity
by AvalonAnonymous
Summary: Alice's daughter, Avalon, is getting married. And when a strange man appears at her engagement party, he leads her down the rabbit hole and into the new Underland. The characters have been changed, and have developed strange addictions that can't be explained. It's up to Avalon to rid of the addictions, But there seems to be strange magic involved with The Red Queen.
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland, or any of it's characters_**

**_Hello Readers! Since I, myself, am half mad, I decided to create a Alice in Wonderland fanfiction! I think you guys will like what I come up with! Please leave reviews, I love to know what you think of my work!_  
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**_Enjoy :)_**

_"A smiling cat?" I laughed, "Why that's impossible!"_

_"Avalon, my dear, I sometimes believe in six impossible things before breakfast!" My mother poked me playfully and pulled me onto her lap._

_"Six? That's a lot for impossible things!" My childish voice spoke._

_"Well it's not that hard if you've been to-"_

_"Wonderland?! Oh, please tell me the story, mom!" I wiggled around in her lap._

_"Hmm, it's almost your bedtime." She brought her finger to her lip and teased._

_"C'mon!"_

_"Oh, alright. I'l tell it." She laughed and placed a kiss on my forehead._

* * *

><p>"Avalon!" My Aunt's voice ripped me away from my memory as I gazed out the carriage window.<p>

"Sorry." I sat myself up, and faced my Aunt Margaret. We were on our way to my engagement party, and I honestly just wanted to stay home and lay in my bed. But of course, I couldn't. I didn't approve of the marriage, or the man, but it wasn't my decision. At least I was able to choose where it would take place: A hedge garden._  
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I wore my mother's dress, that I thought was absolutely lovely. It was made of a sky blue, soft, satin fabric, and it felt nice against my skin. There were small black buttons down the middle of the torso, and puffy short sleeves that rested on my shoulders. At my waist, the dress moved outwards to make the shape of an upside down V, and at the bottom there was a thin black lace design that traced the outside of the dress. I had snuck a pair of black and white striped socks into my white dress shoes that had small heels, and black toes. Aunt Margaret was kind enough to allow me to wear my black and white striped finger-less gloves as well, which made me happy.

My chestnut brown hair was neatly pinned up into a braided bun. I pulled out a couple of loose strands, just to have something hanging by my cheeks. Although, my aunt almost begged me to wear makeup, I absolutely refused. I hated the stuff.

"No, don't apologize dear." My aunt smiled warmly and traded glances with my Uncle Lowell. He gave me a quick smile, "You look so much like your mother in that dress." She sighed.

My mom was Alice Kingsleigh, and she was murdered when I was 10 years old. Her sister, also known as my Aunt Margaret, took me in as her child ever since. My mother was the only happiness I had. She was always so lively, and she would tell me silly stories of talking animals and such. Just thinking of her now made me miss her so much, and made me long for her to be here.

"Speaking of my sister," Margaret nodded to Lowell, and he reached into his brown dress coat pocket, pulling out a small velvet box about the size of my palm, "Your mom wanted you to have this once you were getting married."

My uncle placed the soft box in my hand, and just holding it made me tremble. _My mom? _My fingers gently lifted the lid off of the box to reveal a necklace. _Her _necklace. It was nothing more than a black bead with a golden bird flying from one end of the bead to the other. Even as simple as it was, it held that sort of _memory aura. _

"Ah, mother's necklace." My aunt smiled slightly in memory.

I carefully clipped the chain around my neck. The charm dangled around the neckline of my dress, and was very visible. My eyes then spotted a small folded piece of paper, hidden at the bottom of the box. I quickly snuck the note into my knee high socks, without drawing any attention from my Aunt and Uncle. I didn't know what the note contained, and I wasn't really in the mood for reading it at the moment. I was already too pissed off.

No, I don't speak like that infront of people, but ever since my mom died, I've been a little hard to handle. I couldn't help but feel bad for my Aunt, and how she had to deal with me. For starters, I got my hair cut to a shaggy layered style. She flipped out about that, because she always loved to play with my hair and she loved it when it was simple. Then I started sneaking out at night, not to do bad things, just to think and walk through the crisp nighttime air. My aunt would call the police when she woke up to see that I was gone.

You could probably say that I was a depressed child. I never got enough sleep or food, and I always thought of bad things like drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, things like that. Not because I did them myself, but because the people around me did. Like when I take a nighttime stroll, I'd experience a drug deal, or pass by a group of people puffing smoke in my face. The experiences weren't pleasant, but it made me think about it all the time. _This world isn't as great as it once was._

"We're here!" My Aunt clapped her hands together excitedly, as the carriage slowed to a stop.

_Yep, now you get to meet my bastard fiance'._


	2. Mysterious Man

"It's about time you showed up." My future husband, Alexander, didn't crack a smile. _Nice to see you too, asshole. _I stood on a dancing platform facing my fiance' and we were preparing to waltz.

"Please excuse our tardiness." I tried to be polite.

Lively music began to play. He bowed slowly as I curtsied, and then we faced the partners to our right and bowed and curtsied again. My hand, on instinct, rose upwards and gripped onto my partner's already extended hand. The waltz was something I knew how to do since I was only 6, so my body moved as if it was a daily routine.

The dance could get pretty boring, and I really didn't feel like talking with Alexander. So I took this time to daze off, letting my partner lead our movements on the floor. I looked towards the sky to see a flock of geese. They flew in a V formation in the sky, _It would be nice to fly. _I thought, _I wonder what it would be like..._

Our dance then turned towards the green, perfectly trimmed hedges of the garden. My gaze _now _scanned the white rose bushes, and the guests enjoying themselves. Then, a glimpse of bright red shone brightly in the corner of my eye. My eyes moved slightly to see a man, about my age, standing next to a table. He had hair so blonde that it looked white, and pink-lavender eyes. He wore a flashy red suit, with a light pink undershirt, and a bright white tie that was carefully tied and tucked into his buttoned suit. He had a handsome smile, and his gaze was directly at me. Who he was, and what he was doing? I had no idea.

The dance rotated, and my vision of the young man disappeared. I tried to resist looking over my shoulder, but couldn't help myself. My shoulder bumped against another set of partners as we waltzed.

"Excuse me." I apologized.

"What is wrong with you?" My fiance' questioned, as he continued to lead our waltz. I didn't know if he was insulting me, or wondering if I was okay.

"I'm fine." I said, and he just shrugged it off. When we turned back to face the strangely dressed man, he was walking away into the hedged and I continued to waltz until the music stopped.

"Avalon, don't go wandering off. We make a toast at the gazebo, in 10 minutes." He huffed, and walked away. I could tell he was about as pleased with the marriage as I was. Alexander was 20 years old, while I was 19, and he was born into a wealthy family. Probably the reason why I'm marrying him in the first place. He didn't have much of a personality, unless being rude and snobby counts. He had short, thick black hair, and dark brown eyes. He had a very thick jaw, and his chin was always raised slightly higher than everyone else's. I guess you could say he's handsome, if he didn't look so much like a spoiled rich dick.

I looked towards the green hedges, where the mysterious man was standing. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, so I ran, hoping I would catch up with him. _It took guts to come to a engagement party, dressed in a flashy red suit. _

I quickly turned the corner of the hedge, and almost ran smack into someone.

"I'm so sorry! Please excuse me!" I looked up to see almost an exact replica of Alexander's face, but older. _Asshole #2. _I automatically wished I had taken back my apologies. Alexander's father stood with his hands behind his back.

"Avalon, you mustn't run around so carelessly." He sneered.

"Forgive me." I held back nasty words.

"You are forgiven. Now shall we take a stroll through the garden?" He began to walk, and I guessed that I didn't really have a choice, "Avalon, do you know how much you remind me of your mother?"

"I have received that phrase over and over again for years now."

"Well, that is because you _are _just like your mother. You are always distracted, and you lose your focus easily, and-" He stopped walking and gazed down at the white rose bushes, "White roses disgust me." _Everything disgusts you. _

I then remembered something my mom used to say, and I smiled. It was the perfect time to say it, "If you prefer red, we could always _paint _the roses red."

He looked me over, "How odd."

I rolled my eyes, and looked straight ahead and gasped. There was a snowy white rabbit sitting in the hedgeway. It smiled warmly at me. Mr. Smith looked up to see what I was staring at. I looked away for a few seconds, and the rabbit was gone.

"Did you see that?!" I asked.

"What?" He looked confused.

"I'm so sorry, but you'll have to excuse me." I said politely and quickly ran after the rabbit, turning a sharp corner, and seeing a fluffy tail as he turned another. The mysterious rabbit lead me far into the hedges, until I eventually hit a dead end, but he wasn't there. _  
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I collapsed with disappointment, my dress laid out around me. _ Mom, I wish you were here. _Then I remembered about the note. I carefully pulled it out of my striped sock, and stared at it. _What did it say? _

"Only one way to find out."


	3. White Wine

_My Dear Avalon,_

_By the time you read this, you should be engaged to a snobby man._

_Don't be so surprised, I went through the same things you went through._

_I was expected to marry a man named Hamish, who wasn't particularly  
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_a pleasant man. But at that time, everyone wanted me to accomplish _

_something. I let the people around me choose my future. You are 19, Avalon._

_It's about time you took over, and lead your own life. No one in their right_

_mind should boss **my **child around. You are a Kingsleigh at heart, and I**  
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_want to watch you do amazing things. When I was your age, my imagination_

_always took me to a place called Wonderland. I doubt you remember, but maybe_

_that's what you need. A trip to Underland, to clear your mind and help you _

_decide who you want to be. Whatever you do, I will be proud of you._

_I love you with all my heart,_

_ MOTHER _

I carefully closed the note, and wiped a tear from my face.

"Avalon!" I quickly turned to see Alexander, "There you are. You were supposed to be at the gazebo 2 minutes ago." He huffed.

"I apologize, I got held up." I stuck the note back into my knee-high sock.

"Well, hurry now. Before the crowd calls the police." He smirked and walked away. _I hope your doctor drugs you._I held in the bad words.

* * *

><p>Alexander and I stood in a tall white gazebo, that was big enough for the both of us. We looked out towards the crowd, that was still situating themselves in the set out chairs. We both held ceremonial wine glasses, that we were to drink from later on. It was supposed to <em>seal <em>our engagement. Whatever that meant.

"Did the party have to be so formal?" I ask Alexander, thinking of the man from earlier.

"What do you mean?" He kept his eyes forward.

"Well, just look at everyone." I nodded towards the crowd, "Where's the creativity? There's so much white."

"That's what an engagement party is _supposed _to look like." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, it was just a thought."

"You should keep your thoughts to yourself." He scowled.

I wanted to just drop kick him out of the gazebo, but that would be _inappropriate. _

Alexander cleared his throat just as the last few people sat down, "I would like to thank all of you for attending our engagement party today." He spoke loudly, "If you do not know our family tradition, I shall explain."

He turned to his right and a man handed him a bottle of white wine. _White clothes, white food, white decorations, and white wine. I was gonna go crazy. _Alexander uncorked the bottle, "Whenever a member of the Smith family gets engaged, they must share a glass of wine with their future partners, with these family wine glasses."

He poured the wine into my glass, half way, and then into his. He continued to speak, but I ignored his words. Staring down at the wine glass, I noticed the small details that made it beautiful. It was vertically long and narrow in shape, and it had a hidden design around the rounded part of the cup. It almost looked like small snowflakes were trapped inside of the glass. The yellow colored white wine rippled as my hands trembled, shaking the glass.

"-And now we seal our engagement." Alexander turned to face me, and I did so too. He raised his glass up, and I followed. He clicked his glass against mine, and brought it to his lips, sipping a small portion of it. My eyes looked down at the wine. _You are 19, Avalon. It's about time you took over. _

My eyes looked to Alexander, who looked slightly annoyed yet confused. My lips curled up slightly into a smile, as my fingers let go of the precious glass. It fell to the white wooden floor of the gazebo and shattered. The wine did nothing to my mother's dress, _thank goodness, _but it did splatter onto Alexander's shoes. He backed up quickly from the broken glass, as I just sat there. The crowd gasped, and stared at me in silence.

When I noticed what was happening, I turned to the crowd and tried not to smile, "Um." I searched for the right words to say.

My eyes looked behind me to see the man in the red coat. He leaned up against the hedges, and twirled a pocket watch around his finger. He smiled warmly, and pointed to the clock. _You need a trip to Underland. _

"I need a moment."


	4. Falling Down

I followed the man through the woods, ducking under branches, and swatting at leaves. But it wasn't hard to lose him, he was in a flashy red suit for crying out loud!

"Hey! Slow down, will ya?" I yelled out, a smile on my face. Every now and then he would look over his shoulder and smile warmly, but his feet never stopped moving. Every time he turned a corner, his red coat would fly behind him. After chasing him for a while, I started hallucinating or something, because I started seeing tall white rabbit ears on the top of his head. _Ears? Is he in a costume?_

We eventually made it out of the woods, and into a clear opening where an enormous tree sat. Well, what was left of it.

The tree looked like it had been whacked in half, and only the bottom of the trunk remained. It's roots stuck up high from the ground, and a green moss covered it's bark and roots. I watched the young man, disappear behind the enormous tree.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I asked, as I stepped ontop of a root that was growing upwards and stuck out of the ground. I turned to the back of the tree, and didn't see anyone, but what I did see was a large hole in the ground. I was instantly pulled into a memory.

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><p><em>"How do you get to Wonderland, mommy?"<em>

_"Down the Rabbit Hole, of course!"_

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><p>"Down the rabbit hole." I muttered to myself, as I bent over the large opening, "Hey is this some sort of prank, or something?" I grinned and bent over the hole further, "Hello?" My breathing immediately stopped in surprise as my right hand slipped from the dirt, causing me to fall head first into the rabbit hole.<p>

I shrieked and reached out towards the light of the opening as I fell. My body twirled and flipped around, and I made panicked sounds. My hair was pulled out of it's braided bun, and fluttered around my face like a flag.

My hands desperately tried to grab onto something as I plummeted into the darkness. Things flew past me, like umbrellas, and pots and pans. None of them hit me, but they sure as hell were close.

My eyes scanned the walls of the hole, and I noticed tree roots running through the dirt. I desperately clung to them, hoping they would stop my fall, but they were only yanked out of the wall. I yelled out in frustration. My feet then knocked against the keys of an enormous grand piano that was resting inside the dirt walls. The collision caused it to tip over, and it started falling straight towards me.

I covered my face with my arms, as the piano got close to me. It was centimeters from my face before it stopped, and started rising upwards. It's keys randomly played up and down the scale. _I'm gonna die! _I continued to cling on to random things out of confusion and terror. I grabbed a hold of a hand bag, and quickly threw it away. A handbag really wasn't going to help me at the moment. Then my back slammed into an unusually large sized bed. It bounced me back into the air, and screaming, I continued to fall further down the hole.

My eyes widened and I threw my hands around my face, when I saw black and white tiled floor below me. It got closer and closer at the speed I was going, and I eventually broke right through it, as if it were some sort of pottery.

I grunted in pain as I rolled onto a stone-like floor, that curved into a deep point in the center. An upside down chandelier sat in the middle of the floor. It was simple, and had lit candles sitting on it. Before I could take a deep breath, I fell from the stone floor onto and opposite floor, the one I broke through.

"No way." I gasped in memory. _Did I just fall through the floor?_ I pulled myself to my feet, and smacked the dust out of my gloves and dress. My hair was hanging down by my face, and was slightly wavy from having it in braids.

My eyes began to observe my surroundings. I was in an empty room with blank white walls, that looked slightly dirty. I slowly spun around, and saw a simple wooden door. It had a brass knob, and was unnecessarily large. But it was the only thing in the large empty room. I quickly ran to it, my dress shoes clicking against the tile floor. I gripped onto the knob. I twisted and turned but it wouldn't budge. _Shit, it's locked. _

I sighed in frustration, and turned, "Are you kidding me?!"

I stared wide eyed at a small table that I was _certain,_ wasn't there before. I walked to it to see a small glass box and a small glass bottle. Inside the small box was a perfectly decorated, white frosted cake, about the size of my palm, that said **Eat Me **in small black letters. And inside the bottle was a strange red liquid closed with a cork, and a tag hung from it that said **Drink Me.**

"Really?! No, I'm dreaming!" I threw my hands around and looked upwards, "Okay! I give up! The prank's over! I'm sorry Alexander, I didn't mean to break the wine glass!" I yelled to an imaginary person, "You've got it all wrong anyway! My mom fell into a room with more than one door!"

I gasped in surprise, as I heard small murmured voices. I turned towards the large door.

"I hear you!" I ran to the wooden door, and started banging on it, "C'mon! Party's over!" I received nothing but silence in return, "You've got to be kidding me."

I turned to the only option I had. _So the cake made mom bigger, and the drink made her smaller, right? How does that help?! _My eyes looked up, and I saw the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The flames on the candles flickered.

"Bingo!" I cheered when I saw a key hanging from the center of the chandelier. It was hanging way too high to reach, so I guess that's where the cake came in. I ran to the small table, and opened the glass box. My fingers gently pulled the cake out of the container, and I brought it to my lips. It had a sweet taste, and made me want to eat all of it, but I only took a small bite for fear of growing too big. My fingers quickly placed the cake back into the glass box, and I stepped back. I knew what was going to happen after hearing the story millions of times.

A weird feeling ached in the pit of my stomach, and I looked down, watching my body grow in size. I heard the stretching of my dress's seams, and was afraid it would rip apart. But it held okay. My head banged against the ceiling, and I gripped onto the walls. When I stopped growing, the dress's bottom was up to my thighs, and my striped socks were tight around my legs. _I actually grew! Maybe this isn't a prank...but how did my clothes survive? _A couple of questions ran through my head, that I knew would never be answered.

I wanted to faint with disbelief, but I didn't have time for that right now. I grabbed the tiny key from the chandelier, and squatted down towards the table. My enormous hands grabbed the small bottle, that was now the size of my fingernail, and I uncorked the container. I poured the small amount into my mouth, and swallowed. It had a horribly bitter taste, and as it ran down my throat it made me cough.

The same weird feeling ached in my stomach, and I watched myself shrink back to normal size. I let out a sigh of relief to be back to normal. My shoes echoed across the floor as I ran to the lonely door, and stuck the key inside the knob. I twisted it until I heard a click. _  
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Slowly turning the knob and opening the door, I let out a gasp. _It's not a prank._


	5. A Different Wonderland

I couldn't breathe. My mind was spinning in circles, and I was so confused. I stood in the wooden doorway, and stared out at what I thought was a dream. I was in Wonderland. There were patches of exotic colorful flowers that sat in blue-green grass. Large trees growing above, and small bugs flew around the air. They flew by my face, and I saw a rocking horse with wings being chased by a dragon with wings. _A horsefly and a dragonfly. _

I carefully walked down stone steps that lead out from the door, the wooden door clicking closed behind me. I stepped off the last stone step and onto a stone brick walkway. Random bricks were covered in a soft moss that crunched underneath my shoes. The path lead me father away from the door, and through a large steel gate that had it's doors opened wide. I passed through the gate, and continued to walk a few feet before I felt something on my shoulder.

I jumped at the feeling, and quickly turned around to see the mysterious young man I had been chasing.

"Am I _that _scary?" He had a princely way to him.

"Geez! You _are _when you sneak up on someone! Who are you?" I kept myself from swearing.

"Sorry, I am Nivens McTwisp." He bowed politely, and I noticed that he _did _have bunny ears. They were white and stuck up tall on his head, "AKA The White Rabbit." He smiled warmly.

"The White Rabbit?!" I shook my head in disbelief, "I'm dreaming!"

"May I ask your name?" He looked at me as if he already knew my answer.

"I am Avalon Kingsleigh." I curtsied slightly.

"Avalon Kingsleigh?" He smiled, "I knew it! All that hard work paid off! I finally found you! Alice's daughter." He sighed.

"Yep that's me." I clicked my toes together, "Where is the door mouse, and the dodo bird, and the tall flowers?" I smiled in memory of my mother's story.

"Bad things have happened ever since Alice died." That was all he said. His face showed pure sadness, and I decided not to ask further.

"So why am I here?"

Nivens opened his mouth to speak but a loud roar interrupted him. It was terrifying to hear such a sound echoing through the trees. It sounded like a ferocious beast that was searching for something.

"What the hell was that?!" I asked.

"Oh, why now?!" He yelled out in frustration, "No time to explain." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms. He lifted me up bridal style, and dashed off into the trees. _He's definitely the White Rabbit. _He went very fast.

"What's chasing us?!" I asked just as another bellowing roar moved through the air, sounding a little closer now.

"Something that you _don't _want to meet." He said in all seriousness.

The roar was so loud now I couldn't hear myself think. Nivens quickly pulled himself to a stop just as a dark figure appeared infront of us. He turned and I noticed the dark figures all around us. They seemed like mechanical robots of some sort, and looked like playing cards. _Red Heart Queen's guards.__  
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Niven's set me down on my feet gently, and stood in an attacking stance, "Close your eyes." He ordered over his shoulder. My eyes glued shut, and I heard mechanical clanging and such. I didn't dare to open my eyes. The noise stopped and I felt his touch on my arm. My eyes opened, and he continued to pull me farther into the woods. I glanced behind me to see all of the playing cards ripped to shreds, and laid out on the forest floor.

"Um-" I started.

"Don't ask." He said, sounding slightly irritated.

The ground thumped in a rhythmic beat, and I knew the _thing _had to be close. There was a roar, and then something leaped over us. It landed roughly infront of us and I automatically knew what it was. It was a jaguar-like creature with a long tail. It was large, with a barrel chest and fore-paws that are quite dexterous. It was covered in pale, shaggy fur with dark grey spots, and has a somewhat flat face, with a wide mouth that has multiple rows of teeth and a long tongue. It couldn't speak, but seems at least somewhat intelligent.

"The Bandersnatch." I inhaled.

"Oh so you know?"

"Isn't he supposed to be a good guy?" I whispered.

"Not with _that _thing around his neck." Nivens nodded upwards, and I noticed a black band wrapped around the neck of the beast.

Nivens stood infront of me, but the Bandersnatch's paw quickly smacked the white rabbit out of the way. I watched him slam against a tree.

"Nivens!" I yelled out in worry. While I was distracted the Bandersnatch swiped his long claws at my face. I yelped in pain, and grabbed my cheek, blood staining my fingers. The beast immediately pinned me down on my back, before I could run. His disgusting face inches from mine, he let out a nerve racking roar that made me scream with fright. But a loud gunshot, made the beast collapse beside me. It shrieked in pain, but obviously wasn't close to death.

"Are you okay?" Someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see two new faces.

I was looking at two young boys, maybe about 15 years old. They both wore matching horizontally striped coats, and black pants that puffed out at the thighs and disappeared into pairs of knee-high boots. They both had navy caps that sat on top of black heads of hair. They looked exactly alike, besides the fact the one boy had blue eyes, and blue clothing from his hat, coat and boots, while the other had red eyes and red clothing. The blue boy held the gun, and the red boy held a tall battle axe. They both looked down on me with worry. **  
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"Shit, it got her." The red boy stroked my hurt cheek, that was now burning painfully._  
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"Avalon!" Nivens came into view, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." I was speechless, as Nivens lifted me to my feet, and started pulling me away from the injured Bandersnatch. I honestly felt bad for the beast. He was a good guy, and now he was underneath some sort of spell.

"We need to get her to the Hatter." The blue boy spoke to Nivens.

"It's going to be hard to do that though." The red boy said.

"We just need to get out of the forest." The white rabbit explained.

"I know this isn't the right time, but who are you guys?" I finally asked.

"I'm Tweedle-Dum!" The blue boy said with a smile.

"And I'm Tweedle-Dee!" The red boy made the same smile.

"So you guys are the twins." I stated.

"That's us!" They responded in unison.

"Introduction is over guys." Nivens said, as he slowed to a stop. Playing card guards surrounded us by the dozen, and closed in slowly on us. The Bandersnatch's roar was heard from a few meters away, and I was starting to doubt our survival.

"Avalon, listen to me." Nivens grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes, "Meet up with Tarrant. We'll rendezvous with you once we're done here."

"What?! No, I'm not leaving without you!"

"Just like your mother." He smiled warmly, and lifted me. He swung me around a few times, before his grip on me disappeared. He tossed me through the air, and I crashed into the grass on the outside of the crowd of guards. I quickly got up to run, but something held my dress down. I looked behind me and saw that a 6 Spade playing card had his spear through my dress and held me to the ground.

"Down Avalon!" I heard a boy order, and I immediately pressed myself against the grass as a gunshot echoed. There was a loud clink, and I looked up to see the guard laying lifeless on the grass. Tweedle-Dum gave me a _your welcome _smile, as I yanked the spear out of my dress and started to run away from the small battle. The Bandersnatch's roar slowly started to fade away as I dashed further into the forest.


	6. Chessur?

Today was _not _a good day. I lost the only people that seemed to be able to help me, there was a hole in the bottom of my mother's dress, and my cheek hurt like hell.

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><p><em>"Now Avalon, when it comes to the Bandersnatch, you must be careful. His claws are poisonous."<em>

* * *

><p>My mother had warned me about the Bandersnatch before, I guess I didn't remember about it at the time it was needed.<p>

I was currently walking through a deep part of the forest. There was no light to be seen, except from where I was supposed to be going. The tree branches were strangely curled at the ends, and I kept hearing strange animal calls from the trees. I didn't know where Tarrant was, or how I was going to get there, but I proceeded forward.

"Ooh. A human girl. I haven't seen one of those in a while." A seductive voice made me quickly turn in surprise.

Sitting on a thick branch was a young man, about my age maybe older. Now you thought Nivens was flashy, this guy topped him big time. His chest was left bare to reveal what looked like an 8 pack. He wore a pair of turquoise blue pants, decorated with stripes down the side, covered in green and purple polka dots. His pants ran into a pair of black shoes with red laces, a red belt was wrapped around his waist, and black biker gloves were strapped onto his hands. His cat tail, cat ears, and short cut hair were a bright purple-pink, and he had strange black markings that covered his chest, right shoulder, and left cheek. And a _long _furry, purple and black striped scarf was wrapped around his neck, and dangled behind him. What confused me is that he had cat ears on top of his head, and normal human ears on the side of his head that were pierced three times with black earrings. His body was lean, and a few feet taller than me, but damn sexy. **(see cover image for visual)**

Now that's what I call creative dressing. But if _he _were to show up at my engagement party dressed like _that, _he would probably be arrested.

"It looks like you ran afoul of something with wicked claws." His tail curled, and he smiled a wide, mischievous smile.

"Chessur?" I asked.

"Oh, you noticed?!" He smiled and his voice seemed to change it's tone, "What did that to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I smirked.

"Well, there are many things in Underland nowadays that could do _that._"

"The Bandersnatch." I sighed.

"Really?! I'd better take a look." His body seemed to evaporate and he reappeared very close to me, and his finger brushed against my cheek.

"What are you doing?"

"It needs to be purified by someone with evaporating skills, or it will fester and putrefy." He floated in mid-air looking at me.

"O-okay." I stuttered, giving him permission to continue. He set himself down on the ground, and bent over slightly so that he was face to face with me. He gripped onto my shoulders holding me still, and I let out a gasp as he placed his lips on my cheek, "Uh-"

I tried to pull my, already blushing face, away from him, but he held me completely still. His lips started to branch out, and he pecked my cheek softly. It was embarrassing, but my cheek already started to feel better. He eventually pulled away, licking his lips as he did so.

"That should do the trick." He grinned mischievously.

"T-thank you." I stuttered, pushing away the red on my face, "Um, do you know where I can find The Hatter?"

"Why of course, I was just heading there myself. Do you need an escort?"

"Yes, please." I nodded.

"Follow me." He smirked, shoving his hands into his pants pockets, and started walking away.

_Something tells me, this isn't going to be the biggest difference._


	7. Ever Since She Died

We walked out of the woods, and into a large open space. Where there was an old broken windmill, and a long table that sat infront of it. The table wasn't actually a full table, more like two or three of them pressed together. Broken dishes and teacups were scattered across the table cloth, as well as messy spills of food and drinks. There were three people sitting at the table in all.

The young man closest to us, sat in a normal wooden chair. He had shiny blue-black hair that curled around his ears, and an angled face. He wore a grey button up dress shirt, and a navy blue button up vest over top of it. The collar of the grey dress shirt was messed up and wrinkly, but it made him look handsome. His legs were in a pair of black pants, and his black shoes were kicked up on the table. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted up towards the sky, as he puffed a cigarette. A black dress coat hung on the back of his chair. He looked like the most normal person I had seen yet. **  
><strong>

Farther down the table, another young man sat in a plastic chair. He wore a long sleeved black sweatshirt, but his left sleeve was ripped off at the shoulder. The rest of his bare left arm was covered in a black and green striped glove that reached just below his shoulder. His brown greasy hair had white streaks running through it, and his head was covered by a black hood. Brown rabbit ears stuck up and out of his hoodie, and a pink cross was hanging from the tip of the right ear. He wore simple black pants, chains hanging from the waistline, and they covered his bright red tennis shoes. He was passed out on the white table cloth, and his body twitched uncontrollably. **  
><strong>

At the farthest end of the table, there was a large furniture chair and the last young man sat in it, his head lowered. He was obviously The Mad Hatter, but he looked so young, like _my _age. He had orange, curly hair that covered his ears, and reached his chin. His face was a pale white color, he had bright green eyes, and perfectly pink lips. A large hat sat atop his head, decorated with a pink ribbon that wrapped around the base, a tag that had **10/6 **in big bold letters, hair pins, and a few peacock feathers. He wore a simple brown coat and pants, as well as a sash around his chest that held many bundles of sewing string. His fingers were covered in cuts and band-aids, and bunches of colorful ribbon hung out of his left coat pocket. **  
><strong>

When he met my eyes, he sat up and smiled wide. He stood up on his chair, and began walking across the long table. Crushing a few plates and cup along the way. He woke up the sleeping boy, and the other man just glanced at me while he continued to smoke his cigarette. The Hatter finally reached the end of the table, stepped down on a chair, and rode it down to the ground. We were now face to face.

"You've finally arrived!" He smiled, looking over to Chessur, who evaporated away and reappeared in a seat at the table. He flipped the chair, so the back faced the table, and sat down, spreading his legs apart.

"Tarrant?" You guessed.

"You know me!" He laughed, and grabbed my hand. He pulled me back onto the table, and he dragged me across the broken plates and cups. Hatter continued to pull me until we reached the end of the table, and then he let go of my hand. Him letting go so fast, caused me to tip over the edge of the table with a small gasp.

"Don't worry," Chess's voice whispered in my ear, and I opened my eyes to see that he caught me, "I got you." He held me there, not doing anything.

"That's enough, you stray." Tarrant pulled me out of Chess's embrace, and onto my feet. Then he pulled out a chair for me, "As you can see, we were just having tea. You're so terribly late, you know. Naughty." He touched my nose, as I sat down.

The brown haired boy with the rabbit ears cackled in a strange way, and grabbed a teapot. He began pouring orange liquid into a broken teacup, it immediately started leaking through the cracks.

"But, you're finally here! We must begin introductory! Avalon, tell us about yourself!" Tarrant laughed, and poured something into the cup that sat infront of me._  
><em>

"Um okay." I sighed, "I'm Alice's daughter-"

"Alice?!" The boy from across the table pulled at his ears.

"Don't mind March, he's a tad bit overdosed." The other young man puffed some smoke into the air.

"Overdosed?"

"You see, Avalon, ever since your mother died, The Red Queen has taken over-" Tarrant began to explain.

"I thought The Red Queen was banished."

"She was. But she and the Knave found a way to take back the crown." The smoking boy explained.

"The Knave?" I remembered him from mom's stories. He apparently tried to seduce her, which I found disgusting, "Where all all the ladies?! I've only met men my whole time here." I said.

"It's such a shame isn't it." Chessur sighed, and traced the outline of his cup.

"Well, The Red Queen noticed how she was over-powered by females, and killed many women. Now the only females found are inside The Red Queen's court. She usually only accepts the prettiest of ladies. But, many of our allies were killed." Tarrant sighed, "Including the White Queen." His eyes seemed to darken in memory and he had a look of pure sadness on his face.

"What?" I whispered in disbelief.

"Poor Chessur is suffering like a cat without food." The boy to my right seemed amused as he puffed a cloud of smoke into the sky.

"I don't understand."

"Oh, so you don't know." Chess smiled mischievously, his bare chest bent over and his tail swung back and forth.

"Well, we all have certain addictions." Tarrant stood up, "March here, has a drug addiction, as you can see." He pulled on the March Hare's trembling ears, "Absolem, well, it should be pretty obvious. He's got a smoking addiction." Tarrant moved up close to Absolem's face, "But he's always had a smoking addiction, and it's not much of a problem, huh?"

Absolem puffed a cloud of smoke into Tarrant's face, making a small laugh escape my mouth.

"Except that." Tarrant rubbed his eyes and sat back down in his seat, "I have an alcohol addiction."

I looked down at my cup of tea, understanding a little better now. I brought the tea cup to my lips and sipped carefully at the liquid.

"Forgetting about someone?" Chess purred.

"Ah, yes. Chessur." Tarrant laughed nervously, "He's got a...well, a sex addiction."

I did a spit-take across the table, "What?!"

"You heard him." Chess seductively whispered in my ear, making me bolt upright.

"Stop tormenting her, stupid cat." Absolem yanked on Chess's scarf, pulling him away from me.

"Don't tell me what to do, damn caterpillar!" He argued.

"Anyway," Tarrant continued, "The Red Queen has taken over, and cursed us all. We still have no idea how she did it, but she did."

"This isn't good." I sulked.

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" March chanted.

_I almost forgot! _

I quickly stood, slamming my hands on the table, "Oh my god! Nivens and the twins! They helped me escape the Bandersnatch-"

"I can see that." Tarrant stroked my cheek, "Barely. Did Chess use his magic on you?"

"Yeah, but Nivens told me they would meet up with me here!"

"Well-" Tarrant was interrupted as a loud neigh erupted from the woods.

"Oh no." March cooed and yanked at his ears.

"Speak of the devil." Absolem remained calm.

"Quickly!" Tarrant shoved my body downwards, making me tumble underneath the table just as horse hooves approached us.


	8. A Ruined Tea Party

"Hello, _lunatics._" A dark and emotionless voice spoke, and I heard someone dismount a horse.

"Would you like to join us?" Tarrant asked happily, and the Knave chuckled as if amused.

"You're already late for tea!" March yelled and I heard a clatter of glass. Everyone burst into laughter, while the Knave continued.

"The Bandersnatch ran across something today." The Knave's boots began to crunch against the grass as they slowly came into view underneath the table cloth.

"What might that be?" Absolem asked.

"A human," He responded, "Of the_ female_ species."

"Ooh! Where can I find _her_?!" Chess purred, and laughed along with March.

"Do you think she'll come for tea?!" Tarrant giddily, "I haven't had a female friend in a while!"

"Don't get your hopes up, Hatter. The Queen wants her dead."

"Dead?!" March yelled out in his usual confusing tone.

"So tell me. Do you know a woman with the name of Avalon?" The Knave stopped at Tarrant's seat.

"I'm afraid, I don't. I've only been investigating things that start with the letter _P_." The Hatter emphasized the letter.

"I believe your trip here is completely _pointless__. _We know of no such woman." Absolem exhaled.

"Yes, we wouldn't want to be guilty of _perfidy._" Tarrant chuckled.

"_Please pass _the _pie!_" The March Hare cackled ridiculously.

"Man," Chessur started, "There are so many things I would like to do to a woman's _pu-_"

"That's enough, stupid cat." Absolem stopped Chess from speaking any further.

"If you're hiding her, you'll lose your heads!" The Knave didn't sound amused anymore.

"Ha ha! We already lost them!" Everyone burst into laughter.

"What does this woman look like?" Chess purred after the laughter died down.

"We never saw her, but we'll squeeze out details from our captives soon enough." He laughed, and I covered my mouth to keep myself from gasping, "So far we've discovered that she wears a necklace, that may be quite familiar with you."

I quickly grabbed the charm around my neck.

"Captives?" Tarrant asked, "You don't mean _our _dear friends, do you?"

"If you mean the twins and the _innocent beast, _then...yes." The Knave cackled. There was a moment of silence, and then Tarrant rose out of his chair. His feet slowly started walking towards the Knave.

_Innocent beast? What?! _I was so confused.

"Nivens is no beast, in fact he is the exact opposite." Tarrant's voice seemed to grow lower and lower, "You're the beast. It's your fault. **Itsyourfaultheislikethatandwe'regonnamakeyoupay!**" He spoke in never ending tongue, just like in the stories.

* * *

><p><em>"He started to yell at Cheshire, and he didn't stop. His face darkened and he slowly raised his voice." My mother teased me.<em>

_"What did you do?"_

_"I didn't know what to do at the time, but the doormouse yelled out, **'Hatter!'**__and he pulled himself back together." she snapped her fingers._

_"Just like that?!" I sounded childish._

_"Just like that." Mother tickled me._

* * *

><p>I waited for someone to call out his name, but no one did.<p>

"**Youshittyrottenasshole!We'regonnaruinyourlife,justlikeyoudidours!"** His feet got closer to the knight's.

_I knew that I couldn't just yell out his name. I mean, no one else was, so if they weren't then I didn't need to, right?_

A shatter of glass interrupted my thoughts. Absolem's feet immediately stood from his chair, as the sound of a blade being pulled out of a sheath rang through the air. Absolem's feet left my view, and many china tea cups and saucers began falling from the table. I had no idea what was happening, but soon March stood as well.

"You dare to attack _me_?" The Knave slashed his sword against something.

"Tarrant! Calm yourself." Absolem tried to speak, "You don't want to-"

"**Idon'tcarewhoyouare! YoukilledtheWhiteQueen!" **Tarrant's deep voice continued it's rampage, when everything seemed to slow down. I watched the step by step stumble of The Knave's feet, and in seconds, he had knocked the table over on it's side. Before I could even see what he looked like, I was tackled by the devious cat.

Chess's long body covered my own, blocking my view of everything, and his bare chest pressed up against mine. His magenta pink hair tickled my face, and I felt his tail begin to curl around my leg as if trying to hold me still. His face was drawn up completely serious, and he traded glances with Tarrant, who seemed to get control of himself.

"Well, Well. Was that so hard?" The Knave chuckled, "Now who may this be?"

Chess's face scrunched up in irritation as he held his guard over me. His purple furry scarf seemed to wrap itself around my face, trying to hide my identity.

"It couldn't be a lady, could it? No. Because you said you hadn't seen a female today." The Dark Knight's slow steps got closer and closer.

"Chess?" I whispered his name, slightly worried at the outcome of our situation. The cat gave me a defeated look.

"_I think our worthless fight is over, my pretty." _


End file.
